An idiom is a group of words that are used as a common expression whose meaning is not easily deduced from the literal words within. Show Idioms are often put into the class of figurative language, which is when words are used in an imaginative or unusual manner. To put it simply, idioms mean something different than the words do individually. For example, the phrase: “writing an idiom is a piece of cake” does not mean that writing an idiom is a literal ‘piece of cake’ that you can eat. Instead, ‘piece of cake’ is a figurative expression for saying that something is easy to do. While idioms are more commonly used in America, idioms are also often used in the English language on TV shows, movies, written literature and other media. Familiarizing yourself with the meaning behind common idioms is important as idioms don’t often make literal sense. Here is a list of the most popular and commonly used idioms in American English along with examples and meanings. Common English IdiomsA blessing in disguise A dime a dozen Adding insult to injury Beat around the bush Bite the bullet Best of both worlds Biting off more than you can chew Don’t judge a book by its cover Doing something at the drop of a hat Caught between a rock and a hard place Cutting corners Devil’s advocate Getting a taste of your own medicine Giving the benefit of the doubt Hitting the nail on the head Letting someone off the hook No pain, no gain On the ball Once in a blue moon Speak of the devil The last straw Your guess is as good as mine Dead ringer The whole nine yards Get down to brass tacks Burning bridges Fit as a fiddle Go down in flames He/She is off their rocker It’s always darkest before the dawn It takes two to tango Like riding a bike Through thick and thin Time is money Food IdiomsCan’t make an omelet without breaking some eggs Like two peas in a pod An apple a day keeps the doctor away Heard it through the grapevine Piece of cake Bread and butter Bring home the bacon Crying over spilled milk Not my cup of tea Take it with a grain of salt Top banana Bad apple Bad egg Good egg Bigger fish to fry Cool as a cucumber Couch potato Can’t cut the mustard Hard nut to crack Big cheese Bun in the oven Apple of someone’s eye Buttering someone up Egg someone on In a nutshell Spill the beans Animal IdiomsDon’t count your chickens before they hatch Going on a wild goose chase Killing two birds with one stone The elephant in the room Straight from the horse’s mouth Letting the cat out of the bag Beating a dead horse You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink Every dog has his day A leopard can’t change its spots Wag the dog The birds and the bees Ants in one’s pants Chicken out Clam up The cat’s got someone’s tongue Have a cow Hold your horses Pig out Take the bull by the horns Until the cows come home Smell a rat Nest egg Raining cats and dogs Get the lion’s share Weather IdiomsFeeling under the weather Stealing someone’s thunder Clouds on the horizon Run like the wind Weather the storm Getting a second wind A snowball effect Throwing caution to the wind Body IdiomsHaving your head in the clouds By the skin of your teeth Costs an arm and a leg Giving someone the cold shoulder Pulling someone’s leg Cold feet Face the music Get something off your chest Head over heels Makes my blood boil Rule of thumb Stick your neck out Wash your hands of something See eye to eye Neck of the woods Keep your chin up This Is Just a Small Sample of Common IdiomsIdioms are everywhere. They’re how we make everything from casual conversation to roadside advertising more colorful, and they convey a certain level of cultural understanding and kinship. What are some of your favorite commonly used idioms? Share the wealth in the comments below! |